kpete (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 09:42 PM
Original message
“They arrested a homeless man in a shelter for being homeless.”
Op-Ed Contributor
Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor?

By BARBARA EHRENREICH
Published: August 8, 2009

.............

... It turned out that Mr. Szekely, who is an ordained minister and does not drink, do drugs or curse in front of ladies, did indeed have a warrant — for not appearing in court to face a charge of “criminal trespassing” (for sleeping on a sidewalk in a Washington suburb). So he was dragged out of the shelter and put in jail. “Can you imagine?” asked Eric Sheptock, the homeless advocate (himself a shelter resident) who introduced me to Mr. Szekely. “They arrested a homeless man in a shelter for being homeless.”

The viciousness of the official animus toward the indigent can be breathtaking. A few years ago, a group called Food Not Bombs started handing out free vegan food to hungry people in public parks around the nation. A number of cities, led by Las Vegas, passed ordinances forbidding the sharing of food with the indigent in public places, and several members of the group were arrested. A federal judge just overturned the anti-sharing law in Orlando, Fla., but the city is appealing. And now Middletown, Conn., is cracking down on food sharing.

more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09ehrenreich....

Can't these people READ?

He broke law(1)
Didn't show for court(2)

What else is in this guy's past? I love the spin they are trying to put on this because he's ordained...:rolleyes:

stsinner

08-09-2009, 10:53 PM

Can't these people READ?

He broke law(1)
Didn't show for court(2)

What else is in this guy's past? I love the spin they are trying to put on this because he's ordained...:rolleyes:

See-Illegal Immigration and ICE for some more very amusing law creativity!!

Turns out that Breaking and Entering is a crime, but if you come from South of the border and break and enter into our country, the law suddenly changes.. It's like black magic!!

We pay Border Patrol agents to enforce the law, but when they enforce the law at our Southern border they are sued and labeled racist... It's like a wonderful fantasy!!!

Apache

08-09-2009, 10:57 PM

.. It's like black magic!!

!!!RACIST? :eek:

:D

PoliCon

08-09-2009, 11:25 PM

A few years ago, a group called Food Not Bombs started handing out free vegan food to hungry people in public parks around the nation. Any one passing out vegan food should be arrested and charged with assult and with being a jackass in public.

enslaved1

08-09-2009, 11:52 PM

They must be torn. An ordained minister got hauled to jail...they want to celebrate, but he's homeless, so they need to throw a fit.

PoliCon

08-10-2009, 12:40 AM

They must be torn. An ordained minister got hauled to jail...they want to celebrate, but he's homeless, so they need to throw a fit.

notice that they did not specify which religious group that he is ordained to . . . . could be church of the flying spaghetti monster for all we know . . . .

Rockntractor

08-10-2009, 09:52 AM

notice that they did not specify which religious group that he is ordained to . . . . could be church of the flying spaghetti monster for all we know . . . .

Do you mean the actual Church of the First Born Flying Spaghetti monster or one of the later breakaway maccaroni groups?

PoliCon

08-10-2009, 09:55 AM

Do you mean the actual Church of the First Born Flying Spaghetti monster or one of the later breakaway maccaroni groups?